The Firearms Forum banner

home defense shotgun

10K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  Doc1911 
#1 ·
Looking at this for my home defense Shotgun

590A1 Adjustable 9 shot

I want the adjustable 9 shot with ghost ring sights you have to scroll through a few models before you get to it. I like the adjustable stocks because my wife would be able to use it. Any thoughts on if this is a good choice or should I go with something else?
 
G
#2 · (Edited)
I cant see any reason why not. Looks to me as good a weapon for home defence as your going to get. I am especially keen on ghost ring sights on a defensive/ offensive shotgun.

Dont forget if you buy new, get to a range and give it a good run in, at least 100 rounds to make sure everything works as advertised.
 
G
#3 ·
The Mossberg is a very well-designed and reliable shotgun. I keep a Model 500 close at hand in the bedroom. For close range self-defense, it doesn't get much better than a 12 gauge, loaded with buckshot, and full cylinder barrel. :D
 
#5 ·
i have a mossy 500 persueder and like it very much. in many instances, a good home defense shotgun will run you alot less than a good handgun. buckshot or birdshot will be devistating at across the room distances. good choice.
 
#6 ·
So, since we're famous for thread drifts here at TFF, here is a curious and M500 related story from a few days ago:

Last week I stopped into a local gun shop to kill some time by browsing their wares. I was looking over a Remington 700 when I noticed an older gentleman in shorts, Hawaiian shirt and sandals looking over the shotgun rack. He had long grey hair in a pony tail, looked rather rough in a very hippy-ish sort of way, and caught my discrete attention. I watched out of the corner of my eye and listened as the store clerk showed him various short barreled shotguns.

He looked a Mossberg M590 over and asked, "Is this the same one as the military uses?" The clerk said it was.

Then he asked to see an AR and wanted to know if it was the same as the M16. The clerk told him that it was, other than that one was semi-auto instead of full-auto. I could see his eyes go very far away and he said "I haven't held one since I was in The Nam."

Then he sobered up, handed the AR back and asked how many M590's the store had. Two, the clerk told him. Pulling out a big wad of green bills he said, "I'll take them both." The surprised look on the store clerk's face was priceless.

I found the whole episode rather amusing. Guess that Peace, Love, Dope has turned into Peace, Love and Preparedness.
 
#7 ·
i wouldnt buy the weapon that is in question double duece.

yes it is an excellent gun, but you could not manipulate the safety switch without completely changing your hand grip. that little overlooked fact might cost you your life if you had to use the gun in a hurry. i wouldnt have a mossberg that didnt have a standard stock for this reason,
just my opinion
~john
 
#9 ·
For the price of that shotty, you can get a Springfield Armory GI Model or a Mil-Spec 1911. If I had a choice between a .45 or a shotgun for home defense, I would take the .45 every time.

The 1911 is concealable.

Ammo is cheaper.

You will be able to shoot more than twice as many rounds out of the 1911 in the same amount of time it would take to empty the magazine of the pump shotgun.

Years from now the handgun will be worth more money than the shotgun.

You can keep the 1911 in your nightstand drawer.

A handgun is superior to a shotgun in a CQC situation. Faster target acquisition, and can be used in tighter quarters.

Practice with the 1911 is more enjoyable and more comfortable.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I just bought a Springfield Compact XD in the .45 ACP, a shotgun will be next followed by a assault rifle in a year or 2. I am taking the CC class at the end of the summer as well. Trying to cover all my bases. I thought the handgun should be my first buy as well. I really like the 1911 models but went with something that I could afford and buy more quickly.
 
#11 ·
For the price of that shotty, you can get a Springfield Armory GI Model or a Mil-Spec 1911. If I had a choice between a .45 or a shotgun for home defense, I would take the .45 every time.

The 1911 is concealable.

Ammo is cheaper.

You will be able to shoot more than twice as many rounds out of the 1911 in the same amount of time it would take to empty the magazine of the pump shotgun.

Years from now the handgun will be worth more money than the shotgun.

You can keep the 1911 in your nightstand drawer.

A handgun is superior to a shotgun in a CQC situation. Faster target acquisition, and can be used in tighter quarters.

Practice with the 1911 is more enjoyable and more comfortable.
pardon, but 45 ammo is 20.oo for 50 while shotgun shells are oh 23 for 100.oo at walmartz
 
#12 ·
Shotgun is very good choice, while you can shoot faster with a semi-auto 45, there is only one projectile coming out of the barrel at a time. If someone is breaking down your door, you cannot tell if there is 1, 2, or 4. My Remington 870 Wingmaster with a 18 1/2" barrel, loaded with 00 Buckshot will put 9 projectiles out at one time. If it is HD, don't want it concealed, want it pointed directly at the invader or invaders, whichever. Give me my 870 everytime at home, my handgun outside.
 
#14 ·
I would go for the 590A1 SPX. The bayonet is almost usless, but you get the same gun without the pistol grip.
 
#15 ·
If I can offer a different opinion on that 590.

Everything from the trigger back on that shotgun is just there to lure a certain kind of buyer. It's like chrome on a truck or stripes on a car. It looks but has no function.

The adjustable stock is a good idea for mass issue of a weapon to many people of different sizes. It's nice to let it out one notch when your body armor is off. For a personally owned weapon it makes less sense than getting a standard stock and fitting to the firer. Call it more simple.

A pistol grip has pros and cons. It is better for recoil management IF the firer actually applies proper technique. It is said that it helps with pointing but I've never seen proof. Mostly, that pistol grip just gets in the way. On a Mossberg it just gets your digits further from the safety and slide release. The grip gets in the way during speed reloads too.

Giving a 12 ga to the wife. I won't give a 12 ga to mine because a shotgun is a specialty weapon, not an amateurs weapon. Indoors it is easy to miss with, slow to recover from, and the blast makes you dizzy. Reduced Recoil buckshot was the best thing invented for shotguns, ignoring M1030's. :D

I'd giver her a Youth Model 20 ga pump maybe. A hammerless doube might be better. The intruder won't know the difference long enough to object.:)
 
#16 ·
pardon, but 45 ammo is 20.oo for 50 while shotgun shells are oh 23 for 100.oo at walmartz
Are you saying that shotgun shells are $23 per 100 shells? For what... low power skeet rounds? Certainly not viable self-defense rounds.

This is the second time you have corrected me. The first time I was apologetic. I tried to be humble, admitting that I may have made a mistake and giving you the benefit of the doubt. This time I will not apologize, but I will remain reticent. Perhaps next time you should simply add a comment saying that (X) shells are ($X) per (X) at (X) store instead of splitting hairs. :mad:
 
#17 ·
i didnt mean for it to be taken the wrong way, didnt mean to correct, was just informing. yes it is for the all purpose rounds, and i do consider them viable self defence rounds. they aren't overly powerful, which gives modest recoil, that is tamable to give better follow up shots. bird shot is the better than buckshot for a home defence gun because it is far less likely to over penetrate the assailant, OR go through walls and kill loved ones or neighbors, and makes a hellova wound at any self defence distance.

i dont recall correcting you at another time, but i didnt mean to offend or to sound like i am giving correction, im not one to give correction, but i do like a good gun debate, and since i have a small knowledge of weapons and weapons tactics i normally speak up if i disagree
 
#20 ·
You look at some of those light factory loads and then you realize they aren't all that light as some are 3 1/4 dram. Take your 12 ga with one of the light skeet loads and shoot at a piece of plywood at 10 ft and then see if you change your mind about their effectiveness. At close in your house range I'd use #4's but 7 1/2 or 8's would still work. Further out then I'd go for the buck.
 
#21 ·
If I can offer a different opinion on that 590.

Everything from the trigger back on that shotgun is just there to lure a certain kind of buyer. It's like chrome on a truck or stripes on a car. It looks but has no function.

The adjustable stock is a good idea for mass issue of a weapon to many people of different sizes. It's nice to let it out one notch when your body armor is off. For a personally owned weapon it makes less sense than getting a standard stock and fitting to the firer. Call it more simple.

A pistol grip has pros and cons. It is better for recoil management IF the firer actually applies proper technique. It is said that it helps with pointing but I've never seen proof. Mostly, that pistol grip just gets in the way. On a Mossberg it just gets your digits further from the safety and slide release. The grip gets in the way during speed reloads too.

Giving a 12 ga to the wife. I won't give a 12 ga to mine because a shotgun is a specialty weapon, not an amateurs weapon. Indoors it is easy to miss with, slow to recover from, and the blast makes you dizzy. Reduced Recoil buckshot was the best thing invented for shotguns, ignoring M1030's. :D

I'd giver her a Youth Model 20 ga pump maybe. A hammerless doube might be better. The intruder won't know the difference long enough to object.:)
It wouldnt be just for her, just that she could use it if needed. She is smaller and the adjustable stock would let her shoot it with more comfort. she has shot 12 gauges before with 3 1/2 inch game loads and has done well she is actually a better shot than me on clays and birds :) . I will test out adjustable stock without the pistol grip and with to see which I like better. Thanks for all the good advice!
 
#23 ·
The whole birdshot for self-defense debate has been raging for a long time. As Gil Grissom would say, "The science leads us to the truth." Here is an excerpt from Box o' Truth:

Birdshot as a Defense Load

I have had a lot of questions, summed up as follows: How effective is birdshot (#4, #6, #8, etc.) as a defense load?

We have done tests with various birdshot loads. Birdshot penetrated through two pieces of drywall (representing one wall) and was stopped in the paper on the front of the second wall. The problem with birdshot is that it does not penetrate enough to be effective as a defense round. Birdshot is designed to bring down little birds.

A policeman told of seeing a guy shot at close range with a load of 12 gauge birdshot, and was not even knocked down. He was still walking around when the EMTs got there. It was an ugly, shallow wound, but did not STOP the guy. And that is what we want... to STOP the bad guy from whatever he is doing. To do this, you must have a load that will reach the vitals of the bad guy. Birdshot will not do this.

In fact, tests have shown that even #4 Buckshot lacks the necessary penetration to reach the vital organs. Only 0 Buck, 00 Buck, and 000 Buck penetrate enough to reach the vital organs.

Unless you expect to be attacked by little birds, do not use birdshot. Use 00 Buck. It will do the job.

But doesn't 00 Buck penetrate too much in interior walls to be a "safe" load in a home?
Yes, it does penetrate a lot. But any load that is going to be effective will need to penetrate walls to have enough power to penetrate bad guys. If our only concern was to be sure we didn't penetrate walls, we would use BB guns. However, BB guns will not stop bad guys.

Therefore, we must use loads that will STOP bad guys, and this means that they will also penetrate walls. So, be sure you hit the bad guy and do not shoot into walls where loved ones are on the other side.

When To Use Birdshot

A friend of AR15.com sends this:

"I saw a gunshot victim, about 5' 10" and 200 lbs, taken to the operating room with a shotgun wound to the chest. He was shot at a range of six feet at a distance of just over the pectoralis muscle. He was sitting on his front porch and walked to the ambulance. We explored the chest after x-rays were taken. The ER doc had said 'buckshot' wound, but this was obviously not accurate.

It was # 6 shot. There was a crater in the skin over an inch in diameter. When the shot hit the level of the ribs, it spread out about five inches. There was ONE pellet that had passed between the ribs and entered the pericardium, but not damaged the heart at all. As you say, "use birdshot for little birds."


Read the complete article, and see pics of the testing process here: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm
 
#24 ·
It wouldnt be just for her, just that she could use it if needed. She is smaller and the adjustable stock would let her shoot it with more comfort. she has shot 12 gauges before with 3 1/2 inch game loads and has done well she is actually a better shot than me on clays and birds :) . I will test out adjustable stock without the pistol grip and with to see which I like better. Thanks for all the good advice!
Understood, and I wish you luck on your scattergun.
 
#25 ·
Interesting to hear about the birdshot. I've read that it used to be used as riot control because it was less lethal than larger shot, but I didn't know much less damaging it was!

As to Mossberg shotguns, I love my old 500 police model. Plain wood stock, ribbed forend, blue finish. Simple, reliable, and light. I load with 00 buck.
 
#26 ·
thats pretty interesting powerderhorn.. not something i have considered yet. normally i keep my gun loaded with birdshot, cause thats what i have on hand, but i have kept 00 and #4 buck as well.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top